We had the most divine meal for a retirement celebration. Sitting in a private dining room which over looked the garden and had trees covered in fairy lights. A magical setting.
The food was a taste sensation and the service just perfect.
From the amuse bouche to the handmade chocolates with coffee , was plated, served comparable a work of art.
The restaurant Merlet in the nice coastal village of Schoorl, is a good, family owned hotel. it has a one Michelin star restaurant plus a grand Café. We now it for at least three decades. With some old friends we had our yearly meeting in the Grand Café, booked in advance. Veggie lunch for my wife and me was no problem.
Although the premises were fully loaded as there was a wedding party of a large Chinese family, we had a decent place. I got a nice risotto with mushrooms as a starter and grilled vegetables with tasty cheese foam plus French fries as a mains.
Pleasant owners, pleasant staff.
It was a birthday present for my wife: Somewhere off-site but close to amenities you won't like to miss: hidden behind some dunes but close to some nice villages and towns in the northern part of the Netherlands. Hotel is fancy, each room has an own story to tell, modern style, air con works pretty good, almost no noise. We got some bikes from the hotel for having a ride through the dunes of Schoorl. Breakfast was also very nice and well stuffed, just missing the typical Dutch white bread ;) We also had dinner at the one star Michelin restaurant - amazing! It was a wonderful experience to see, smell and taste all the excellent food paired with an excellent choice of wines - highly recommended! And the service during dinner was outstanding. All in all it was a perfect gift - not only for my wife ;)
We (2 adults/2 children) booked for three nights (900+ euros) especially for the region and the availability of a swimming pool. At arrival the girl announced that the pool went defect two days before. It might be repaired 2 days later but without certainty. The only compensation that was offered was a reduction of 12 euros in a swim paradise in a neighbouring village. As an alternative a one time swim in another hotel was offered, making us feel that the defect pool was rather the clients problem than Merlet' s. In addition, in this price category there was no mini bar and a second 10y old TV for the children not working. This hotel needs to get real: even when it can count on a high occupancy the clients interest must be central.
Stayed here on business and really loved it, the air conditioning worked well though it was hot outside. Beautiful rooms with an incredibly comfortable bed, walking distance to the quaint downtown area, and the sand dune. Excellent bar staff were fun to talk with as were fellow travelers. The desk staff even walked me to my room. Loved the huge bath tub at the foot of the bed, an excellent stay.
